Urdu critic, poet and theorist. Regarded as the founder of the new movement in Urdu literature, Shamsur Rahman Faruqui has formulated fresh models of literary appreciation. Formerly a civil servant in the Indian Postal Department, Faruqui has been adjunct professor at the South Asia Regional Studies Centre at the University of Pennsylvania (USA). He also held the Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Chair in the Faculty of Humanities at the Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi. Being an author of several books, Faruqi uses a refreshing eclectic approach to interpret the great 18th century poet Mir Taqi Mir in his four-volume study of Mir's art. His awards include Padma Shri, in 2009, India's one of the highest civilian honours.